witnesses on the train. She altered our memories too. They always do.”
“What?” Jack asked. “Why?”
Midknight motioned with his hands. “I don’t ask that question anymore. The Secreteers like to play their cards close to their vests. It’s just the way they are.”
“It’s because they’re paranoid,” Blue called out. “Makes
me
paranoid.”
“Don’t worry,” Midknight said. “They might get a little extreme about how they stay anonymous, but really, we’re all better off this way. The less people know about the Secreteers, the easier it is for them to do their jobs. We trust them to keep our secrets, and so far no Secreteer has ever abused that trust.”
“Yeah, as far as you can
remember
,” Blue grumbled. Midknight gave Blue a you’re-not-helping look. “Hey, I tell it like it is,” Blue told him.
“I don’t get it,” Allegra said. “If they’re going to mess with our heads, why do it this way? Why make us all remember different things that are still wild and unusual? If they’re going to alter our memories, wouldn’t it be easier to just wipe them clean like they did those people back there?”
“They just like to mess with us,” Blue grumbled. “This is exactly what I’m talking about with these guys. I hate this feeling. You can’t even trust your own memories around Secreteers.”
“I think I do remember something, though,” Jack said. “The Secreteer … I’m pretty sure I saw her in the smoke.”
“Her?” Allegra asked.
“It was a woman,” Jack confirmed. “A beautiful woman with dark skin.”
“Jack …,” Blue said with a laugh. “If you really think you can remember a Secreteer’s face, you’re reading too much of your own press. Nobody gets close enough for that. Nobody.”
Speedrazor, who had woken up at some point duringthe conversation, found that extremely funny for some reason. He started giggling like a maniac, but Blue shut him up with a quick smack to the back of the head. “What’s so funny?” he asked. “Your big score is down there in a flaming wreck, and your gang left you to take the heat for it. I wouldn’t be laughing if I were you.”
Jack looked out the window at the blown-up cargo car. He couldn’t get any reading from whatever had once been inside it. His powers didn’t let him talk to dead machines.
“I still can’t believe you blew it up,” Allegra told him.
“I just hope whatever that train was carrying wasn’t some one-of-a-kind treasure,” Blue added. “As it is, you’re gonna hear it from your old buddy Jonas Smart when we get back to Empire City.”
“Jonas Smart?” Jack repeated. “What’s he got to do with any of this?”
“Intelligent Designs,” Blue replied. “It’s a front company for SmartCorp out in the Real World. Whatever you just blew up belonged to him.”
“No way,” Jack said. Blue gave him a look that said he wasn’t kidding. Jack leaned back in his seat and let out a heavy sigh. “Great,” he said. “That’s just great.”
Jonas Smart, a man who had once tried to have Jack executed and dissected because of his Rüstov infection … a man who was probably the last person left in Empire City who still thought of Jack as a Rüstov spy … he was the owner of the coveted cargo that Jack had just blown to bits. Ricochet was wrong. The Secreteers hadn’t tied up every loose end on this mission after all. Jack was going to have to answer for what he’d done on that train, and Jonas Smart was going to be the one asking the questions.
CHAPTER
4
The SmarterNet
As it turned out, the self-proclaimed smartest man in the world didn’t even wait one full day before he had Jack called before the Inner Circle, charged with the willful and malicious destruction of SmartCorp property. It was a ridiculous claim. Jack knew that SmartCorp had front companies operating out in the Real World, but he’d had no way of knowing that Intelligent Designs was one of them. The extent of the
“What?” Jack asked. “Why?”
Midknight motioned with his hands. “I don’t ask that question anymore. The Secreteers like to play their cards close to their vests. It’s just the way they are.”
“It’s because they’re paranoid,” Blue called out. “Makes
me
paranoid.”
“Don’t worry,” Midknight said. “They might get a little extreme about how they stay anonymous, but really, we’re all better off this way. The less people know about the Secreteers, the easier it is for them to do their jobs. We trust them to keep our secrets, and so far no Secreteer has ever abused that trust.”
“Yeah, as far as you can
remember
,” Blue grumbled. Midknight gave Blue a you’re-not-helping look. “Hey, I tell it like it is,” Blue told him.
“I don’t get it,” Allegra said. “If they’re going to mess with our heads, why do it this way? Why make us all remember different things that are still wild and unusual? If they’re going to alter our memories, wouldn’t it be easier to just wipe them clean like they did those people back there?”
“They just like to mess with us,” Blue grumbled. “This is exactly what I’m talking about with these guys. I hate this feeling. You can’t even trust your own memories around Secreteers.”
“I think I do remember something, though,” Jack said. “The Secreteer … I’m pretty sure I saw her in the smoke.”
“Her?” Allegra asked.
“It was a woman,” Jack confirmed. “A beautiful woman with dark skin.”
“Jack …,” Blue said with a laugh. “If you really think you can remember a Secreteer’s face, you’re reading too much of your own press. Nobody gets close enough for that. Nobody.”
Speedrazor, who had woken up at some point duringthe conversation, found that extremely funny for some reason. He started giggling like a maniac, but Blue shut him up with a quick smack to the back of the head. “What’s so funny?” he asked. “Your big score is down there in a flaming wreck, and your gang left you to take the heat for it. I wouldn’t be laughing if I were you.”
Jack looked out the window at the blown-up cargo car. He couldn’t get any reading from whatever had once been inside it. His powers didn’t let him talk to dead machines.
“I still can’t believe you blew it up,” Allegra told him.
“I just hope whatever that train was carrying wasn’t some one-of-a-kind treasure,” Blue added. “As it is, you’re gonna hear it from your old buddy Jonas Smart when we get back to Empire City.”
“Jonas Smart?” Jack repeated. “What’s he got to do with any of this?”
“Intelligent Designs,” Blue replied. “It’s a front company for SmartCorp out in the Real World. Whatever you just blew up belonged to him.”
“No way,” Jack said. Blue gave him a look that said he wasn’t kidding. Jack leaned back in his seat and let out a heavy sigh. “Great,” he said. “That’s just great.”
Jonas Smart, a man who had once tried to have Jack executed and dissected because of his Rüstov infection … a man who was probably the last person left in Empire City who still thought of Jack as a Rüstov spy … he was the owner of the coveted cargo that Jack had just blown to bits. Ricochet was wrong. The Secreteers hadn’t tied up every loose end on this mission after all. Jack was going to have to answer for what he’d done on that train, and Jonas Smart was going to be the one asking the questions.
CHAPTER
4
The SmarterNet
As it turned out, the self-proclaimed smartest man in the world didn’t even wait one full day before he had Jack called before the Inner Circle, charged with the willful and malicious destruction of SmartCorp property. It was a ridiculous claim. Jack knew that SmartCorp had front companies operating out in the Real World, but he’d had no way of knowing that Intelligent Designs was one of them. The extent of the
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